The Atheil Chronicles: A Call to Fire

Chapter 28

Ariana was silent as she lay on the ground, her head propped up on her satchel while her cloak was wrapped tightly around her. The fog had receded just enough within the last hour so that the night's sky was finally visible again, and she found herself staring up at it, the twinkling of the thousands of stars above feeling like the only thing keeping her anchored to the world. After she had gotten back from her talk with Ryonen, she had told Tyrynion that they should make camp for the night. He had agreed, pretending not to notice the flush that had risen in her cheeks from her fight with Ryonen. They both settled on softer ground away from the rocks with Tyrynion making a small fire shortly after that.
The deep red fire had sparked to life right in front of her, but Ariana had barely reacted. Her mind had been somewhere else. She wasn't used to the blood red of the flames, and she found that she immediately missed the familiar green glow of Ryonens fire. Somehow, it felt like another blow to her heart to have lost that, too. The two of them had stayed up and talked for a bit, mainly about how far they were from the outer limits of Balthorn, a whole day's travel, and then sat in silence for a while as the sky grew even darker around them. It had been well after nightfall when Ryonen had come out of the trees, his face turned away as he chose a spot to sleep that was a considerable distance from the fire and, even more significant, from them.
After Tyrynion had gotten up to go take the first watch, she had tried to make herself comfortable as well. Turning her back to the fire, she had stared into the surrounding darkness as she willed herself to let go and drift away. However, she found that sleep was as evasive to her as it had always been when she was back home. Her mind was full of thoughts that she couldn't quite process, of pain she didn't want to consider. She knew, as surely as if it were written in flashing lights right before her eyes, that her feelings for Ryonen had changed. Before, she had cared for him deeply in a way that might have turned into love if given the chance. Now, however, she wasn't sure what she felt about him. With the way he had been behaving lately, she wasn't even sure if they could maintain a friendship, let alone an actual relationship.
The thought had made a tightness rise up in her throat, and then she was crying, the soft sobs rocking through her body as she felt the hurt of the past 2 days washing over her all at once. She had laid there, silently gasping, as she cried into the velvety fabric of her cloak for a long time, the crackling of the fire behind her masking the sound from Tyrynion and Ryonen. After a long time of this, she had seemed to cry herself out, unable to shed another tear even if she had wanted to.
She sighed, closing her eyes against the light of the stars and wondering if things were ever going to get better for her. She was feeling more isolated than ever without Ryonen there to keep her company. His friendship had been the only thing keeping her from falling apart while they searched for her mother, and now she worried that she was losing even more. She wondered if they'd ever be the same again after this, but she didn't dare to hope.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she began to feel the familiar heaviness washing over her that she knew would bring sleep. She gave in to it, letting it carry away her worries like the tide flowing back out to sea. Her whole body relaxed as it wrapped her in its gentle embrace, her last thought being of how she missed Ryonen laying beside her through the long night.
* * * * *
She was in a dark forest, her long silver cloak flowing behind her as she seemed to glide through the trees. Her eyes scanned the surrounding area, looking for him. She was about to move on when she heard a noise and turned toward it. As her eyes adjusted, she saw him emerge from the thicket, his brilliant hair blazing like the stars that shined in the night sky. His eyes were like roaring flames, the color shifting noticeably even as she gazed at him across the space.
"You came." She whispered, her soft voice sounding surprised but pleased.
He nodded, taking a step closer to her. "I knew I shouldn't have, but I could not stay away."
She took in a shuddering breath. "I'm glad for that."
He was even closer now, the glow of his hair casting a fine white light around him so that she could see his face clearly despite the dark. The sharp angular features of his cheekbones stood out prominently there, and she reached up a pale hand to run her finger along them in a gentle caress.
He closed his eyes at her touch, his feathery white eyelashes kissing his cheeks as he did so. "We mustn't do this anymore; we cannot risk it."
Her soft hand moved to cradle his cheek and he opened his eyes, the flickering flames in his meeting her pale blue ones. "I would rather die than stay away from you." She said, her breath coming quick as she pulled his face to hers, their lips crashing together in a sort of fevered desperation.
"So be it." A deep rumbling voice said, the words echoing around them in the darkness.
The man had barely a second to react, pulling her up into his strong arms as flames as dark as night sprung from the ground all around. Their greedy tendrils licked at the trees, instantly devouring them as they spread through the surrounding area. The heat rolled off of them like a massive solar flare, the force of it throwing her dark hair behind her as if caught in a high wind. She closed her eyes, ready to be consumed by it.
Ariana woke up suddenly, vaguely aware of a cool feeling moving up her arm. It felt like the gentle caress of a feather brushing against her skin, the effect being more ticklish than anything. She opened her eyes and turned her head to the right, her eyes focusing on her arm laying there on the ground beside her. For a moment, her brain couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. Then, she felt panic rising up inside her as she realized what was happening, throwing herself into a sitting position.
Somehow, she must have managed to roll over in her sleep and drop her arm into the fire. She looked down in horror as the deep red flames seemed to be crawling up her arm. They were already past her elbow before she started to shake her hand hard, desperately trying to throw them off of her. As her hand moved too close to the fire that was still burning on the ground, it reared up to meet her, the flames twisting around her fingers like a loving embrace as she tried to pull away. She was just about to panic when Tyrynion was suddenly in front of her, his face tense as he reached out a hand and extinguished the fire with a flick of his wrist.
He stared at her, his eyes full of wonder and something else she couldn't quite figure out. The flames that had been licking their way up to her shoulders had faded away until her bare arm was left hanging there, not even a flush upon her skin to show where they had once lay.
She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. She had no idea what she was supposed to say. How do you explain to someone why your arm was on fire but you're seemingly alright? She swallowed, her eyes shifting to Ryonens sleeping figure on the other side of the clearing. "Listen-" she started.
"Well," he said, cutting her off, "that was certainly a surprise." He was eyeing her with a curious look. "I suppose there's an explanation for that?"
Ariana nodded. "There is, but listen to me Tyrynion, you have to keep this a secret from Ryonen. Someone I trust very much told me that it wouldn't be wise to let him find out."
Tyrynion narrowed his eyes. "Why?" He asked her.
She glanced at Ryonen again. He was still asleep, his chest rising and falling gently as he breathed shallowly. Ariana leaned toward Tyrynion. "Ryonen is heir to the Eastern Kingdom and my friend is afraid he'd be obligated to tell on me if he ever found out about it."
Tyrynion looked at her for a very long time, his lips pursed as he considered this. Finally, he nodded. "Understood." He said quietly, surprising her.
"Wait, really?" She asked, completely stumped by his reaction. She had expected him to at least ask some questions before agreeing to anything. She never would have guessed he'd just go along with it blindly.
"Yes." He replied easily, shrugging. "I don't think that it's wise to trust Ryonen with a secret like that; his mother can be quite persuasive. He may not be willing to go against her. "
"You know his mother?" She asked, shocked.
He nodded. "Of course. I told you, I was part of the royal guard of Peridien; I've seen her many times before when she would come to the city to visit with the King and Queen."
Ariana looked down at where the fire had been, taking in this new information. "Ryonen said she was kind, but strict." She said, her hand reaching down to brush her fingers against the charred earth there. Then she looked back up at him. "Is that true?"
He drew his eyebrows together, considering this. "I suppose that's his impression of her." He paused. "I never thought very highly of her, myself. She was always too interested in power to really strike me as being kind."
She swallowed. This was what she had feared; that Ryonen was giving the King and Queen more credit than they deserved, that they wouldn't agree to help her find her mom, and that she would just be sent back home. "And how do you think she'd react to finding out I can do this?"
He shook his head darkly. "Your friend is right; don't tell her under any circumstances. You may not be able to leave the Eastern Kingdom if you do."
Ariana was quiet, her thoughts swirling around in her head. Even without his mother being a problem, she was doubtful that she could trust this new version of him. "We've been fighting a lot." She said quietly, looking up at him. "I'm sure you've noticed."
Tyrynion, who had been crouching in front of her, sat down lightly on the ground. "I have." He replied.
She swallowed. "We were 'together' before we came to Orlac...I found out he had been lying to me about who he was."
He just looked at her. "I see."
"And now," she continued as if he hadn't spoken, "all we do is go back and forth fighting. He's always trying to accuse me of doing things that I'm not doing and treating people poorly. Like you." She said, giving him a meaningful look.
Tyrynion considered this for a long time. When he finally spoke, he let out a sigh. "You have to understand something, Ariana. Ryonen is the Prince of the Eastern Kingdom; that has both benefits and drawbacks, one of those being that he's lived an extremely privileged life. As much as you feel like he's on your level, he's been taught all his life to consider anyone besides him and his parents inferior. You can try to combat that, but it's ingrained in his very being."
"I just wish it didn't have to be like this." She said, bitterness mingling with sadness inside of her. She wasn't just talking about her situation with Ryonen anymore, but about the pressure she felt to hide this huge secret.
They sat in silence as Ariana stared down at her charred fingertips, the ash from the ground having rubbed onto her skin. There was a sort of warmth to it that she couldn't explain, almost like the way a lightbulb feels hot long after it's turned off. She rubbed the ash onto the hem of her cloak and when she looked back up, Tyrynion was watching her.
"That Phoenix marked you as one of its own when you saved it from the Goblins, didn't it." He didn't wait for her reply, but reached out a hand to her. "May I see where it marked you?"
She nodded and put her right hand out, her palm slipping lightly into his as he turned her hand to the side. The flame shaped scar was clearly visible on the skin there and she felt a tingle of electricity run through her as his calloused fingertip moved over it.
"I don't think there's been anyone like you for thousands of years, maybe even longer, and especially not a human."
She sighed heavily. "So I've been told." She said wryly.
He looked at her hard. "This is a gift, Ariana, not a curse."
She met his gaze. "It doesn't feel like it at the moment."
"What's troubling you?" He asked her.
She was silent as she gathered her thoughts. "It's not just the fire thing. I've been having these visions in my sleep and I just don't understand what they mean."
He looked away from her into the darkness. "Maybe they're not meant to be understood." He said, his voice quiet. "Maybe they're just something that's happening randomly."
"They do seem pretty random." She agreed.
Tyrynion looked back up at her, a small smile on his face. "Try to get some sleep, I'll start the fire again but this time I'll make sure it isn't so close to you." He got up and moved to sit on a nearby rock. As promised, the blood red flames shot up from the ground at least 10 feet from where she lay.
She settled back down onto the ground and turned away from him. She closed her eyes, thinking about what had just happened. On the one hand, she was happy that she didn't have to carry the burden of her secret alone. On the other, she was putting her faith in someone she barely even knew. It was terrifying to think that she had so little control over herself when it came to fire. If she wasn't careful, Ryonen would figure it out and then she'd have a serious problem on her hands. A small part of her still felt guilty to be keeping this secret from him, though she was becoming less guilty as time went on. At first, she had wanted to tell him about it as soon as they left Lamis', however, his behavior since leaving there was making her believe Lamis was right for saying Ryonen wasn't to be trusted. Granted, he had known all along about Ryonen being dishonest, so he had good reason in the first place to not want her to say anything. Even before she knew he was lying to her, though, his own behavior had cemented her decision.
She took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Please just let me sleep, she begged silently in her head. She wanted so desperately to stop thinking about everything, to be able to be free of the crushing grip it had on her. She didn't know if that would ever happen, really, but she still had room to hope. Things could get better, they could go back to some semblance of what they used to be, if only she tried hard enough.
* * * * *
Ariana woke up fairly early, the light of the morning shining brightly even through her closed eyelids. She opened her eyes lazily and sat up, blinking away the grogginess of sleep and looking around as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. The fog was back and thick around her, having reformed some time in the night, and the whiteness of it was almost blinding with the morning sun shining above. She felt the cool chill of it hanging in the air and wrapped her cloak around her tighter, a small shiver escaping her. She was just about to get up to find the water canteen when she saw across the clearing that Ryonen, too, was awake. He was sitting up, facing the dead trees ahead of him where he had emerged from the night before. She wondered if he was thinking about going back there.
Hesitantly, she got up from her spot, taking a deep breath as she decided to try to talk to him. She regretted so deeply that things had gotten like this between them. This was someone that she cared so much for, and now she didn't even know what was to become of them. Her footsteps were muffled against the soft, dewy ground as she made her way quietly over to him. He didn't look up as she sat beside him on the ground, her eyes turning to face the same dead trees as his were. They were quiet for a long time, neither one of them speaking, but both of their gazes drawn ahead of them.
"You're talking to me now?" He said quietly. There wasn't surprise in his tone, but rather a sort of accusation.
She sighed. "Ryonen, please, I don't want to fight with you."
"It certainly seems like that's what you want." He said. In her peripheral vision she could see him shifting his weight to the side. "I just don't understand why this is how things are between us, Ariana."
She didn't know how to answer him. She bit her lip, thinking. "Ryonen, I'm not happy about this either, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I can't just forget about the way you lied to me all this time and, even if I had tried to just set it aside for the time being like I said we would, you've done nothing but force me to bring it up through your continued bad behavior. You're doing the same thing to Tyrynion that you did to Lamis. It's like-." She paused, unsure of how to express how she was feeling. "I don't know, it's like you don't actually care about what impact your words and actions have on others."
Now he did turn to look at her, his green eyes almost cold in the way that they surveyed her. "You think I don't care about anyone other than myself." It was a statement, not a question.
"I didn't say that, Ryonen." She said, already feeling exhausted.
"I know what you said. '' He told her snarkily. "You don't have to explain it to me. I'm living it just as much as you are."
She swallowed. "We're fighting again. Are we ever going to stop fighting?" She asked him.
"You tell me. You're the one holding all the power, apparently. I don't have a say in this. I don't have a say in us."
"Ryonen, you did have a say in us until you betrayed us."
"You said when we got here," he pointed around at the surrounding area, "that you would let it go. That you understood why I lied."
"I never said that I understood why you lied." She said quietly. "I said that I understood how you felt."
"What's the difference?"
She looked at him, noting his tense shoulders and just overall defensive body language. "The difference is that I understand that it feels like your life isn't in control, and how that might make you sad and regretful, but I don't agree with what you did, Ryonen. Maybe I can accept why you didn't tell me who you were at first, but after everything happened with the assassins chasing us and with my mom being kidnapped, you should have told me. And it's not because you cared about me or whatever, because I know that we weren't anything at that point, but all that time you kept coming back to see me you knew. You knew that they were after you and you still came."
He took in a shuddering breath. "I-"
"Just wait." She said, holding out a hand. She wanted to get it all out, for him to understand why she was so hurt by this. "Ryonen, its like this, okay. I don't blame you for the life that you were forced into. You didn't ask to be born a Prince, nor did you ask to be the Prince of the prophecy. That's a lot of pressure for anyone, let alone someone like you who doesnt even want any of it. It was thrust upon you and, yes, you feel like you've been cheated by destiny, you feel like- you feel like the universe has been cruel to you but, Ryonen, you're being cruel to me. You dragged me into this, you weren't honest with me and, yeah, maybe I would had been angry with you for a little while, but I would have gotten over it. I would have come to the same conclusion that I'm coming to now; that it's not your fault how you were born. But the problem is, you didn't tell me, you didn't come clean. You sat there, looked me right in the face, and lied to me and you want to just, I don't know, forget about that? To just pretend like everything is great and for me to hold your hand, look into your eyes, and tell you that I forgive you for that?"
He swallowed. She could see a vulnerability in him now and she hoped beyond all hope that what she had said had finally struck some sort of chord with him. "I should have told you the truth." He agreed, shaking his head. "Yes, you're right, I should have. I know I should have, but I can't go back and change what I did. I can't- I can't make it better, but I want us to be us again. I want to be able to hold you, to be close to you, to feel like I have you again." He said, his voice so meek. "I don't want to lose you, Ariana."
"You're not losing me, Ryonen, this is what I've been working toward all along. I'm trying to keep us together, to keep us from drifting apart, but you've been making it so hard. Tyrynion-" She stopped as soon she saw the way his face changed when she said his name. That same coldness was back, and it was like the tiny glimpse she had gotten of the man she cared about was suddenly gone just as quickly as it had come.
"So you wanna talk about him." He said quietly.
"He's here, Ryonen, he's not going anywhere. Why do you want to hate him so bad? What has he done to you besides save me and save you? Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't come along? I don't know what that Cave Troll would have done to me, but I do know that you would have been stuck paralyzed indefinitely if we hadn't come back with the stinger. You only would have been freed if you were pricked by the same stinger that paralyzed you in the first place. Who knows what would have stumbled upon you at that point. You were a sitting duck there, Ryonen. Tyrynion didn't even hesitate to come back and help you when I said you might have been hurt."
Ryonen shook his head, his hair flying around his shoulders as he did so. "I didn't ask for him to help." He said, his voice full of resentment.
"So what," she said, her hands falling to her hips, "are you just going to be mad at any person that tries to help you, then?"
His lips tightened. "If I need to."
"Ryonen, that is so immature."
"Yes, well," he said, an edge coming into his voice, "I guess I'm just not mature enough for you, am I, Ariana."
"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, thoroughly confused.
"Nothing." He said, and there was a finality to his voice now. "It doesnt mean anything." He said, and he got up, striding into the trees away from her, leaving her left to wonder what in the world had just happened.